48 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 387 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



1. The classification of land on the basis of soil and topography indicates 

 that half the total area of the State is suitable for agricultural utilization. 



2. The percentage of agricultural suitability varies from nearly one-third in 

 Barnstable County to slightly less than two-thirds in Worcester County. 



3. In 1880, before the decline in the agricultural land area set in, 41 percent 

 of the State area was represented by improved farm land. In 1940 this proportion 

 had declined to 15 percent. 



4. The major local land-use factors responsible for the decline of improved 

 farm land relate in varying degrees to changing types and systems of farming; 

 soil erosion and deterioration; non-resident land ownership; disappearance of 

 town industries; and growth of residential, recreational, commercial, and other 

 more intensive uses of land. 



5. Non-resident ownership of about one-third of all land in rural towns has 

 contributed to the increasing amount of land under wooded cover. 



6. Of the total State area, nearly two-thirds is under wooded cover. The 

 highest proportion (nearly three quarters) is in Barnstable and Berkshire Counties; 

 the lowest (slightly more than half) in Essex and Middlesex Counties. 



7. In the towns below 10,000 population, 89 have no existing local industries. 

 In 87 of the remaining 184 towns, local industries provide employment for less 

 than 100 persons in any one town. 



8. The demand for more intensive uses of land has affected farming through 

 higher land values and taxes. 



9. The average value per acre of farm land and buildings is $37 in the lowest 

 third of the towns below 10,000 population; in the highest third, the average is 

 $284 per acre. 



10. From the standpoint of land-use pattern and land-use adjustments needed, 

 five types of rural towns are indicated in Massachusetts: 



A. Towns characterized by predominantly poor land, declining population, 

 limited agricultural land utilization, and extensive areas under wooded 

 cover. 



Major adjustments needed: Extension of public ownership of forest land, 

 elimination of isolated settlement, development of recreational facilities, 

 possible discontinuation of the town as an independent political unit. 



B. Towns with a fair agricultural background experiencing recent dislocation 

 in local industries. 



Major adjustments needed: Realignment of town expenditures, fuller utiliza- 

 tion of land resources for agriculture and other uses, rehabilitation of 

 industrial opportunities. 



C. Towns with favorable physical background and with well-rounded agri- 

 cultural land utilization. 



Major adjustments needed: Conservation of soil, better adaptation of 

 crops, and better care of woodlots. 



D. Towns with declining agricultural land utilization as a result of expansion 

 in more intensive uses of land. 



Major adjustments needed: Prevention of increase in area of idle land held 

 for speculative purposes, primarily by more equitable taxation of land 

 used in agriculture. 



E. Towns with a balanced system of agricultural and other land uses. 

 Major adjustments needed: Maintenance and improvement of local condi- 

 tions through farsighted policies of local people and their planning agencies. 



